This is a proposal to support investigators from the United States and enable them to attend the International Conference entitled Alcoholism and Stress: A Framework for Future Treatment Strategies. This is the third Conference, sequel to our highly successful meetings on Alcohol and Stress that were held in Volterra in May 2008 and May 2011. This Congress series is one of the first international meetings directed at bridging ongoing independent programs on stress mechanisms and alcoholism in Europe and the USA. This conference provides a venue for the interaction of a broad group of biomedical researchers, and as a result, we expect that it will be of broad interest to basic and clinical researchers around the world. The meeting will be held on May 6-9, 2014 in Volterra, Pisa, Italy. The attractive location of the meeting will provide an excellent opportunity for scientists from the USA to present and discuss their research with international colleagues and also provide opportunities for new collaborative research. The target audience consists of clinicians and researchers interested in the advancement of biomedical research on alcoholism and alcohol-related biomedical phenomena with the goal of developing new and innovative treatment strategies. This meeting will give participants the chance to present their latest findings related to alcohol and stress research through abstract, symposia, and roundtable discussions, as well as plenary lectures. Most importantly, it will provide a unique opportunity fo alcohol researchers from all over the world to meet on a personal level and interact with clinical researchers to develop drug strategies for alcoholism treatment. The meeting will also foster alcohol-related research collaboration within a community that otherwise would have had limited access to such a venue and body of knowledge (this includes the European countries). Approximately 150 attendees are expected from all over the world, including, but not limited to the following countries: Russia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States. This application requests funding for travel expenses for 23 US scientists to attend this important meeting on Stress and Alcohol. This application also requests coverage of travel expenses for two invited plenary speakers and for publication costs (abstract book).